British philanthropist in line for £1.9bn payout in sale to non-public fairness

A British philanthropist will receive a billion-pound payout after selling his investment firm to a private equity giant. 

Swedish private equity firm EQT announced plans to buy specialist Coller Capital for up to $3.7billion (£2.75bn) as it looks to capitalise on a boom in the secondaries market.

Jeremy Coller, who runs the fund, is reportedly in line to receive about 72 per cent of the payout, around $2.6billion (£1.9bn). 

Coller said he had initially planned to list his fund on the stock market 

Coller Capital, which holds around $50billion (£37.2bn) in assets under management, buys and sells stakes in private equity funds. 

It has capitalised on growing interest in secondaries funds, as private equity funds struggle to return cash to investors quickly enough, as IPOs and other exit strategies have become less attractive. 

Dealmaking in the market rocketed to $225billion in 2025, a 41 per cent increase on the previous year, according to adviser Evercore.

Coller, who is also a prominent animal rights campaigner, told the Financial Times: ‘I was going to IPO, to be honest, but at [age] 67, I found EQT’.

Coller Capital will form a new business platform within EQT and will keep a separate office in London.

The acquisition brings Stockholm-listed EQT back into private credit after offloading its credit unit to Bridgepoint in 2020.

It said the deal would accelerate Coller Capital’s growth strategy, including expanding secondaries into real assets.’

Per Franzen, chief executive and managing partner of EQT added: ‘Coller is a global leader in this field, with deep expertise. The transaction unlocks growth opportunities for both firms.

‘Together, I believe we can double the size of Coller’s business in less than four years.’

Shares in EQT rose 5.68 per cent in Stockholm this afternoon.